Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-06-30
BLoODY-SHIRT ROT.
A Fair CriticlAm of John Shermaucs
Springfield Speech.

A Fair CriticlHm of John Shermau3
Srrin gfisId Speech.
The statesman who, a few months
ago, asked the business men of Cincin.
natl to formulate an economical and
financial policy for the politicians, on
the ground that the latter were up j
stump and were incapable of extSicat-
ing the Government from the diff culties
surrounding it, found words and time
at Springfield, in this State, to discuss
all the ancient history that lac is famil.
lar with, and TO air as much of his con.
temptible partisanship as the occasion
would admit of. Unable to suggest a
remedy for any evil of to-day, the poll.
tician who presumes on the ignorance
and prejudice of his hearers goes back
over the years and comes out strong
on questions long since settled forever.
No man in America is more formidable
i'll this role than John Sherman. No
man in America is weaker. more use
less and more dumb in the presence OF
the prodigious questions now confront
ing the Nation, every one Of them i'm
portant in its way, than John Sher-
man.
Senator Sherman presumes to assert
that there is something in the ''tenden-
cies" of one party which makes it pref.
cradle to another. and, to sum up his
evidence on this momentous point, he
declares that in the first place Cleve-
land was elected by fraud, and has
characterized his Administration by
appointing rebels to Office and treating
Al. T..
this is to be seen the same old assump-
ton of personal, moral, patriotic and
intellectual superiority by ono paa'ty
over another without n shadow OF
basis, and, in. fact, contradicted by
every event of Importance in the last
century. For every Republican patriot,
wise man, good man, handsome mana
wcll-dressed man or clean man, n
Democrat of equal standing may be
produced. For every rebel in place
under Cleveland a "rebel'' can be
found who was in place under the De-
pubicans. For every Union soldieI"
smitten by Cleveland one can be found
who was smitten by a Republican.
These things are conceded everywhere
in life save in the political stump or in
the columns of the editorial swash-
buckler
1t is discouraging beyond measure
to see a man who has long been sccn-
spicuous in public life and who aspires
to high things pitching his canvass
for the Presidency on so low and
wretched plane. The time has come
for something better. The people seem
to be demanding something obetter.
They have something UNNECESSARILY
better at Washington already. If the
John Shcrmans can not rise to the
level reached by the present clean and
progressive Administration and take
issue with it, not on questions with
which it has and can have nothing to
do, but upon the issues in the solution
of which it is now engaged they will
cut sorry figure next year. The re-
dictionary is never popular in a Tree
country.
In the coming Presidential electio5A
the Republican candidates will not be
asked whether they will fight the
Southern Confederacy or not. They
will not be questioned as to their stand
ing on the Missouri Compromise or o(9
the Kansas and Nebraska question.
They will not be catechized with vef-
erence to the reconstruction Of the
States lately in rebellion. 1t will
make no difference whether they fought
as Union soldiers 'or stayed at home,
rs John Sherman did. What they
will have to meet will be the record of
an honest painstaking, patriotic DEM
ocratic Administration. They may pre-
fer something else, but that will be the
thing which will confront them.-Chi-
cdgO Herald.
SPIRIT OE The PRESS.